The Schools We Need

In the final portion of the book titled, "The Schools We Need," Noguera discusses the need for schools that foster an environment in which students can succeed. He gives a the example of a principal in Berkley, California. What is amazing about this school, that has had the highest test scores in Berkeley, is that about 60% of the students are minorities or qualify for free/reduced lunch. Noguera says that the accomplishment is due teachers coming together and "work to ensure that students who are behind academically do not slip through the cracks."


So then what does it take to build a school that our society needs now a days? Noguera lists six essential elements that could help build high-performing schools. They are to share a common mission, vision, values and goals, to incorporate systems for prevention and interventions, there must be collaboration among staff to maintain a focus on teaching and learning, data must be used to guide decision making and continuous  improvement, have active engagement and participation of family  and community members, and finally have a commitment to building leadership capacity at all levels. Now that we have a list of ways to do this, is it possible?


The first thing that came into mind is a documentary titled "Waiting for Superman." It shows what is happening in our school systems: drop-outs, fail-outs and school closings. The documentary starts off with students giving an insight to what their personal lives look like. Then it shows model teachers that really do show an interest with the lives of their students. They go above and beyond than what most of us grew up with or are used to seeing. If we applied a more structured guideline to come together as a group of teachers and had one mindset, I believe that lives could really be changed.


Collaboration is a key that is so essential to the flourishment. As a resident assistant, I've been a first hand witness to how important it is to have many of those six components. They are essential for smooth sailings. I  believe that we can build this bridge between people. In one of my devotions, I read about peace not only being an inner feeling, but also a feeling of wholeness when addressing another peron. When we present ourselves to our collegues, it is essential to be at peace with one another.